THE developer behind a Harden housing scheme has agreed to fund local facilities in a bid to push the scheme forward.

But Skipton Properties says they will have to drop the planned affordable housing provision from their development.

The developer already has outline planning permission to build houses on land off Keighley Road, Harden.

But more detailed plans for the site, that would see 28 properties built on the field, were refused by Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee in July.

The company had originally agreed to provide £107,000 worth of contributions to the local area including money towards schools and the nearby St Ives Estate. There would also be payments to create a village green space.

But earlier this year the company said that “abnormal costs” to develop the site made the existing plans unviable, and meant they were no longer able to still provide these financial contributions.

This claim did not go down well with members of the committee, who said taxpayers shouldn’t subsidise property developers, leading to them refusing the plans.

Now the company has submitted a second application for the site, agreeing to fund local facilities. But they will now be dropping the plans for six of the units on site to be classed as affordable.

The application says these changes mean the company’s profit margin for the site will be reduced from 20 per cent to 17.23 per cent.

The altered contributions, wich come to the same amoung as the originally agreed contributions, include £46,708 to either Harden Primary School or Cullingworth Primary School and £20,419 towards St Ives Estate.

Originally the company was due to pay £31,893 towards providing Metro bus passes to residents of the estate. Instead Skipton Properties has proposed to pay that money to improve facilities at Harden Village Hall. The application says: “The village hall is in need of investment in its infrastructure. The contribution will therefore benefit all the residents of the proposed scheme and the wider community of Harden.”

The plans still include a village green.

A financial report included in the application reveals that in total Skipton Properties will spend £7,045,670 on developing the site, and the contributions, and make £1,466,805 profit.

At the last planning meeting a spokesman for the company said they would “crack on” with the plans immediately should they be approved.

A decision on the new application is expected before the end of the year.